PLU Codes Project

The Price Look-up Project: PLU I, PLU II, PLU III, PLU IV

Stickers on fruits and vegetables are officially known as PLUs or price look-up codes. Initially, in the 1990s, they contained bar codes only to facilitate inventory control. Soon, logos and URLs were added. A PLU code now turns a banana or a lettuce head into a “value-added vegetable product.” The 1400 PLU codes in circulation around the world today symbolize the globalization and the commercialization of basic food commodities. A simple piece of fruit is now a brand. Is this a good thing? nh

PLU II: Who wins?

PLU codes are a simple but powerful example of capitalism’s unrelenting attempt to categorize life itself into marketable entities we can label, price, and enter into consumer supply chains. As demonstrated by this video, PLU codes outlast the food they claim by a long shot. PLU II intends to humorously critique the capitalist commercialization of food, art, and just about anything else that sustains the mind, body and soul. (And, for the record, a young friend of mine recently sent me some pictures to show how his beautiful, dark compost pile was littered with little PLU code stickers.)

Initially, I used my microwave to display my growing fruit sticker collection. When it broke down (unrelated to the PLUs), Sticker Doll was born. The mannequin intends to enforce the commercialization of food into branded products. The mannequin is covered in plastic wrap to preserve the stickers.